Children's Dental Health Month may be winding down this week, but good dental health is an important priority year-round for North Carolina kids.

February is a time when dentists focus on getting children to adopt the daily habits that will support healthy teeth and gums. Dr. Julia Molina, owner of Cary Pediatric Dentistry, said there are many benefits to having healthy mouths.

"Oral health is closely connected to overall health," said Molina. "If you have poor dental hygiene, then that can contribute to infections, pain, difficulty eating, speech problems. You can even miss many school days."

Accessing dental health care can be an issue in parts of North Carolina. Ninety-seven of the state's 100 counties are either partially or fully designated as dental health professional shortage areas by the North Carolina Office of Rural Health.

Molina said younger children especially need help maintaining good dental health. She noted that kids don't have the dexterity to floss their own teeth until they are about eight to ten years old.

"We recommend, if it's an infant, small toddler, that mom and dad brushes twice a day – once after breakfast and then once before bedtime," said Molina. "If any teeth are touching, those are actually areas that you want to floss, and flossing every night."

Molina said a dental assistant at her practice goes to preschools to educate young children on the importance of oral health during February, and she makes sure to bring fun activities to keep the kids interested.

"The idea is just getting kids excited about oral health from a very early age, said Molina, "because then they go home excited about it."